If Bush had stayed 100% in Afghanistan and did not go into Iraq, how would he be viewed today?

Question

This includes the assumption that doing so would have ended or greatly diminished the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Afghan opium trade by now.

How would Bush be viewed today given the opening question scenario?

Answer 1

Bush did a whole lot of things really wrong. Not just going into Iraq. There is still the two stolen elections, and the Patriot Act, and the fact that there are many questions about 911 that have not been answered satisfactorily, and almost nothing about the official story makes sense once you start doing in-depth research, and so many other things that are too numerous to mention here. If Iraq had been his only "mistake", then your question might be answerable. *sm*

Answer 2

The answer to that question depends on a fact that is unknowable - what would have happened with Iraq in the years since the coalition operation. would it have been docile? Would it have aided terrorists? Would it have developed and used WMD? Also, remember that before the invasion some people were blaming the US for the mass starvation occurring because Saddam was diverting the oil-for-food money. That practice presumably would have continued.

So we can only guess.

PS Perhaps if Bush had wiped out the Taliban before 9/11, he would have been even more damned as a warmonger and would have lost the 2004 election. And people would have been asking what the harm would have been if Bush hadn't started a war in Afghanistan. Or if Iraq had caused trouble in the past few years, Bush would have been criticized for letting yet another attack slip through. The logic of the Iraq war was to prevent another 9/11, remember.

Answer 3

the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Afghan opium trade ? since the fall of the Taliban Afghan opium has sky rocketed, the Taliban tried to end all production of opiates in 1998-2000

According to the UNODC, Afghanistan’s opium production has increased, more than 15-fold since 1979. In the wake of the Soviet-Afghan war, the growth of the narcotics economy has continued unabated. The Taliban, which were supported by the US, were initially instrumental in the further growth of opiate production until the 2000 opium ban.

(See UNODC http://www.unodc.org/pdf/publications/afg_opium_economy_www.pdf

Answer 4

Bush Derangement Syndrome might never have struck our population. Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, but many sheeple believed it did (some still do). The Taliban was removed from power in Aghanistan, that part of the mission was a success. They aren't gone, but they don't hold much power.

The opium trade is a tricky situation. A lot of the opium farmers don't use the drug. They simply sell it to feed their families. Eradicating it is problematic because it wrecks their economy. Realistically, the US should offer a program to replace opium fields with a more viable product, like corn.

Answer 5

It's too hard to say because everyone supported the war in Afghanistan because it was only about revenge for 9/11, which everyone wanted. But on the other hand he would have received criticism because when we went into Iraq we thought they had weapons of mass destruction, and if Bush didn't act on that intelligence then he would have been looked at as ignoring a serious issue. It's too hard to say.

Answer 6

He would be viewed as someone who actually gave a damn about winning the War On Terror and punishing the man who ordered the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden. (Remember him?) Of course, he might still have screwed up there. And he might still have invaded Iraq later. But, chances are, he'd at least have bin Laden in custody (and, by now, tried, convicted and executed).

That alone would make him look a LOT better in history, because it would mean he had done the ONE thing the nation wanted its President to do on September 12, 2001: Find out who did it, find him, and kill him. Instead, Bush said he would do it, and hasn't done it. He hasn't failed, he hasn't even tried. And for that, he will have to answer to history, a sterner judge than any mortal court.

Answer 7

Good Question, If based on this question only and not other decisions made by him, he probably would have been viewed much better.

The Whole civilized World was on our side and we had a enormous chance of using the goodwill and support to show our leadership,class and a model of Democracy once again as we did in WWII.

Instead Torture,government secrecy,removing rights of the American people,starting a war on faulty information,lying to the American People and to the World will be his Legacy.

Answer 8

As the worst president ever. no better than the devil himself. Doing that in Afghanistan would have pushed the Taliban into Iraq instead of the other way around. Any kind of war in which a republican president saves American lives will result in his evilness. It's sad really, I like bush and support his decision to go to Iraq. We have not been attacked since and have not lost a single US citizen on American soil since going to Iraq in terrorist related attacks. If you think we are spending to much money on this war, but it has kept you safe do this. sit with your family at dinner tonight and look at each one of them. After words figure out how much money each one of your family members are worth ( include your children if any ) . Tell me then that we are spending to much for your families safety

Answer 9

He would have much more respect... But he probably would not have won the re-election. I know that people would think that is crazy but the 2004 election was actually very close... more than people realize. If Bush just stayed in Afghanistan then we would have been more organized there and with much more support... we probably would still have not caught Bin-Laden but he would have been much weaker causing less fear domestically so economic issues would have determined the election.

Answer 10

First, a disclaimer. i do no longer think of Bush is the main suitable President of all time, yet Hitler #2? Come on. Get genuine, human beings. by means of going into Iraq, he took out a guy who could placed human beings in a good sized meat grinder ft first just to take heed to their screams as they went down. (look it up in case you do no longer think of that's real.) What grew to become into Bush to do, enable THAT to proceed in simple terms so he does no longer be judged harshly for going into Iraq? (I trust whoever says we ought to consistently have pulled out of Iraq as quickly as Hussein grew to become into toppled, yet possibly, in simple terms possibly, that's not that straightforward to tug out of the mire in a single day. Ever think of of that?) Lest we forget approximately Clinton attacked the soverign us of a of Kosovo for an identical situation that grew to become into happening in Rawanda on the main suitable same time. What made him come to a determination on Kosovo quite of Rawanda? good judgment? How is it logical to call Bush Hitler #2 while the above went on in elementary terms some short years till now he took place of work? it style of feels to me that if Bush had in simple terms stayed in Afghanistan and not long previous into Iraq, he continues to be be seen Public Enemy #a million with the aid of fact he's a Republican, which apparently is the biggest crime of all in accordance to many human beings at present.